Juliette and the Licks
Four on the Floor (Hassle)
By Catherine Disabato
Published: August 1st, 2007 | 9:32am
On the newest Juliette and the Licks album, Four on the Floor, Juliette Lewis comes off as a modern-day, rocknroll Brigitte Bardot. Like the French-pop star before her, Lewis moans, groans, speaks huskily into the mic between songs, and talk-sings her way through tracks (purely for effect rather than to compensate for any lack of vocal talent). Lewis and Bardot also wear their sexuality like something to be proud of; in the ’60s, Bardot revolutionized female sexuality, and Lewis is doing so now.
Lewis’s exploration of her countercultural sexuality is a recurring theme on Four on the Floor. It comes up in the CD’s earliest high point, “Hot Kiss,” as Lewis screeches “I’m his favorite toy / Like a beach ball / Play me up and down / And throw me against the wall,” over high bursts of guitar riffs. It comes back in the genre-confused “Death of a Whore,” whose almost Tom Waits-ian verses and a bridge that features Lewis screaming “Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you some more,” clash terribly with the two-sweet, pop-tastic chorus.
Four on the Floor isn’t just a cultural message over bass, drums, and guitar, however. It also demonstrates a musical range that the Licks have never accomplished before. There are the riffy, spazzy guitar-rock songs that we’ve come to expect from the Licks, “Sticky Honey” being the best of these, but there are also some surprising musical departures. The album’s final track, “Are You Happy,” is soft, sweet, and acoustic-guitar driven, which shows Lewis’s vocals in a completely different light. She can bring a house down with her passionate screams, but just as easily charm them with delicate melodies.
Though Four on the Floor, can sometimes seem a bit typical, it’s the experimental moments that define this album and this band that is clearly growing musically.
Issue #35
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